


You and I

by puppybusby



Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, So much kissing, i just didnt write them doing it, i mean...they absolutely do the deed, very much a fade to black situation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:49:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27678341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puppybusby/pseuds/puppybusby
Summary: "You make me feel beautiful."This time it was Ava's turn to smile as she reached up to cup Beatrice's face."Oh, I'll show you just how beautiful I think you are."
Relationships: Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva
Comments: 54
Kudos: 349





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous said:  
> love your avatrice stories! you captured their characters well and the fluff yes thank you. and uhm I got a prompt for you it's from a wuote here in tumblr: "“I kissed a girl wearing a cross around her neck, her lips didn’t taste like church. But her hips felt like god, I wonder what her pastor would have thought. I wonder if that cross around her neck meant more to me than it does to her” - Bea is the one wearing a cross
> 
> This one deffo got away from me a little bit, it mostly turned into 3.5k of softness, feelings and kisses- hope you enjoy it
> 
> Fic title from "You and I" By PVRIS

The first time Ava noticed it, they're sparring. 

Beatrice had flipped and pinned her to the mat when the briefest flash of silver popped up from underneath Beatrice's collar. 

A crucifix?

"Getting better, you ready to go again?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava blinked up at her friend and reached out for the necklace until her fingers brushed against cool metal. It looked old. 

Beatrice didn't move, but regarded Ava with curiosity. 

"I've never noticed this before." Ava said. 

"It usually stays under my clothes." Beatrice replied, when Ava dropped her hand she tucked it back away. "You seem surprised that I wear one?" 

"Well when you say it like that I feel like an idiot." Ava sat up. "It looks old." 

"It is." Beatrice confirmed. "I've had it since I was a child." 

Beatrice didn't elaborate further and she got to her feet, holding out a hand for Ava. 

"We going again?" Ava asked. 

"If Lilith sees us sitting around talking she's just going to go harder on you next time." 

Now that was the truth, and unlike Beatrice, Lilith couldn't be appeased with kisses. 

At least Ava didn't think so, she hadn't really tried. 

"Fine." Ava leant in to press a quick kiss to Beatrice's cheek. "Please don't hurt me too much." 

Beatrice smiled even as she rolled her eyes. "I'll try."   


\--

Surprisingly, it was Beatrice who brought up the necklace a few days later. 

They're in her room, Beatrice reading at her desk while Ava half dozes on the bed. 

Ava had found her way there while on a mission to avoid her studies with Lilith. 

("You do realise that this is going to be the first place she comes to look for you, right?" Beatrice had pointed out when Ava had shown up.) 

But so far they had been left alone, and Ava enjoyed having the extra time to relax with her girlfriend. 

"It was given to me by my Grandmother." Beatrice said suddenly. 

Ava opened her eyes and sat up enough to meet Beatrice's gaze across the room, it was a sudden enough statement that it took Ava a moment to realise what she was even talking about. 

"Your Grandmother… What was she like?" Ava asked quietly. 

Beatrice smiled, more to herself than anything. "Regal, but kind. When my father's political career started to take off I would spend a lot more time with her. She would take me to church each Sunday." 

Regal. Even with as little knowledge Ava had about Beatrice's family, regal seemed like a word that just fit. 

Even Beatrice herself, in the way that she would carry herself And would watch and just think there was something majestic about her. 

"Did she ever do things like bake cookies with you? I always imagined that being something a Grandma would do." 

"Only once, that I can remember." Beatrice replied. She frowned as she turned to Ava. "Did you know your grandparents?" 

"Never met them." Ava shrugged. She saw Beatrice's expression soften with sympathy and hurried to add, "She took you to church?" 

Beatrice nodded and got up to cross the room and sit on the edge of the bed. 

"Right up until she died. I was twelve , I had wanted to continue to go to that church but my parents insisted I go to theirs instead. It fit in with the family image better." Beatrice sighed. 

There was more to it than what she had said, but as Beatrice herself had once said, there's always more. 

The topic of their families were painful to both of them for their own reasons and those stories of their pasts were rarely freely offered. 

It was easier to focus on the present, on what they had together and to hope for a future. 

Ava reached for Beatrice's hand and stroked her thumb along Beatrice's knuckles. 

Beatrice smiled down at their hands. "Looking back, I see clearer how my Grandmother and my parents interpreted the bible and its teachings differently." 

"How so?" Ava prompted gently, she linked their fingers together. 

"I… I've already told you how everyone in my life tried to make me different, but she…" Beatrice sighed. "She didn't. She just tried to teach me how to be a good person." 

Ava shifted closer to wrap an arm around Beatrice's chest and pull her backwards into a hug. 

"Well, she did a good job at getting you on that path." Ava rested her chin on Beatrice's shoulder. "You're more than just a good person. Everything about you is beautiful." 

Beatrice twists slightly, enough for her to press her lips to Ava's and continuing to turn until she was facing Ava. 

"What was that for?" Ava asked. 

She must have some kind of dopey expression on her face because Beatrice was smiling now, brighter than she had all day. 

"You make me feel beautiful." 

This time it was Ava's turn to smile as she reached up to cup Beatrice's face. 

"Oh, I'll show you just how beautiful I think you are." 

She leaned in for another kiss as she curled an arm around Beatrice's shoulders. It was easy to tug Beatrice until Ava could ease her down to the bed and settle her weight across Beatrice. 

Kissing Beatrice had very quickly become Ava's favourite thing and it never spoke truer than in these uninterrupted moments, as rare as they sometimes felt. 

It was the quiet sighs between them, Beatrice's flushed cheeks, the hands that would get tangled in Ava's hair and pull her closer or the breathy gasp that would leave Ava's chest burning whenever she would flick her tongue against Beatrice's lips. 

These were the moments Ava would wish could last forever, tangled up in her girlfriend and trading lazy kisses until the world around them faded into a blissful white noise. 

One thing Ava sometimes forgets is that Beatrice is a trained warrior. 

A trained warrior who, when startled, absolutely will react instinctively. 

So when her door slammed open, Ava barely had time to register  _ that  _ sound before Beatrice's room began to spin as she was unceremoniously thrown from the bed and landed heavily on her back. 

"Of course you'd be in here." Lilith said from the doorway, a hand covering her eyes. 

"Jesus, knock much?" Ava replied as she sat up and glanced over to see Beatrice also sitting up to look apologetically at her. 

"Don't bring Jesus into this, you were supposed to be in the library twenty minutes ago." 

"She'll be there in five, sorry Lilith." Beatrice replied. She climbed off of the bed and placed a hand on Ava's back. 

Lilith walked away, grumbling under her breath as she did. Ava groaned and dropped her head against Beatrice's chest. 

"I'm sorry I threw you, are you okay?" Beatrice asked. 

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Ava replied. "Are locks just like, not allowed here?" 

"There isn't really a need for them." Beatrice replied. "There's nothing that we'd do behind closed doors that would require…" 

Ava couldn't help but grin as Beatrice trailed off, her cheeks slowly turning redder. 

"I see where your mind is going and first of all, big fan." She paused to press a kiss to the corner of Beatrice's lips. "But maybe we'll start with a knock before entering rule." 

"Noted." Beatrice cleared her throat and pushed gently at Ava's shoulder. "Now you better go before Lilith comes back and drags you away." 

"Well we wouldn't want that would we?"   
  
  


\--

"What were you thinking?" Ava asked quietly, it was getting harder to keep the worry out of her voice. 

Beatrice looked up at her, her expression painfully apologetic. 

Ava finished gathering supplies set them beside Beatrice.

"We need to stop the bleeding and bandage you up." Ava said. "Do you want me to leave?" 

Beatrice shook her head. "I may need your help." 

"Okay." Ava took a steadying breath. "Okay." 

She tried to will her own hands to stop shaking as she helped Beatrice shed the top half of her tattered clothes until Beatrice was stripped down to her bra and Ava could finally see the extent of the damage. 

The cut along her side looked painful and Ava's chest ached at the scattering of bruises already forming across her body. 

Beatrice, ever the professional was using the bathroom mirror to inspect it carefully. 

"It doesn't need stitches." She decided. "Disinfect, gauze and bandage." 

When Ava didn't move or respond, she felt Beatrice's hand close around hers. 

"Ava,  _ Ava. _ Look at me." 

Ava glanced up to meet Beatrice's gaze and for a moment it felt as though her entire body froze under the steady intensity she was met with. 

"You can do this, it's okay."

Ava was relieved she didn't have to try and give Beatrice stitches. That was something she absolutely had no place doing. 

Besides, hearing Beatrice's pained hiss as Ava set about cleaning the cut was already more than she could handle. 

It didn't help that Ava could still picture the attack that had led them to this moment clearly. 

Beatrice jumping in front of her and being flung aside by the tarask like she weighed nothing. 

"Can you hold this?" Ava asked as she pressed the gauze down. 

She waited until Beatrice's hand covered it and reached for the bandage and silence fell upon them as she fixed it all in place. 

"I'm sorry." Beatrice said after a few minutes. "Not… Not for what I did, but for worrying you." 

Ava shifted upright to press her thumb to Beatrice's bottom lip, careful to avoid the cut in the corner. 

"I can heal Bea, I would have been fine." 

"You can heal but you're not invulnerable Ava. You could have died." 

Ava glanced down at the cross around Beatrice's neck, gaze lingering for a moment too long at the specks of blood across the metal. 

"So could you." Ava whispered.

Beatrice's eyes were soft as she reached out to stroke Ava's cheek. "That's part of the mission. I have to protect you." 

"Fuck the mission." Ava cupped Beatrice's face with both of her hands. "Please, Bea. I know you've always been for the mission but one day it'll be over and when it is, I want to experience life with you. I want a future with you." 

"Ava…" 

Ava had never been a particularly religious person, but here? Kneeling in front of Beatrice and begging for her to stop being so damn self sacrificing? It felt like the closest thing to a prayer that Ava had ever experienced. 

"I'm in love with you Bea, and I'll be damned if I lose you before we have a chance to live." 

Beatrice blinked, a single tear falling as she held Ava's gaze. 

"You love me?" 

Ava pressed a kiss to Beatrice's forehead. "I love you." 

"I… I love you too." Beatrice whispered. "I don't want to lose you either." 

Ava chose to pepper Beatrice's face with kisses, each more gentle than the last until she finally reached Beatrice's lips, this kiss so gentle it was barely a brush of their lips. 

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Ava asked. 

Beatrice nodded and Ava was quick to help clean the blood from her skin and dig out some clothes for Beatrice to sleep in. 

When they were finally settled beside each other in the dark, Beatrice spoke. 

"Can you say it again?" She asked, barely a whisper in the silence. 

Ava shifted closer. "I love you." 

She'd say it until her final breath.   
  


\-- 

In hindsight, Ava probably should have been suspicious when Mary, Camila and Lilith told them about a possession at a surprisingly nice hotel in the city. 

She absolutely should have been suspicious when, upon getting to the hotel, Camila dropped a key in Beatrice's hand and told her and Ava to head up with their overnight bags. 

"What about you guys?" Ava asked. 

Mary shrugged. "We'll meet you up there, we're gonna check the perimeter first." 

They rode the elevator up to the seventh floor in silence, Ava watching in amusement as Beatrice fidgeted with the sleeves of her flannel. 

"Something doesn't add up." Beatrice said as the doors opened. 

"What do you mean?"

Beatrice shrugged. "I just can't shake the feeling that there's something they're not telling us." 

Ava hummed and reached for Beatrice's hand as they made their way down the hall. When they finally reached their room and let themselves in they were greeted with a queen size bed and what was definitely the fanciest room Ava had ever seen. 

"Holy shit, Bea, look at this!" Ava dropped her bag and threw herself onto the bed and groaned. "This is the best." 

When she sat up to grin at her girlfriend, Ava expected to be met with gentle amusement or even the neutral business ready expression Beatrice would fall into. 

She definitely didn't expect to be met with a mild panicked expression. 

"Bea?" 

Beatrice pulled out her phone and after a few presses of her thumb, held the phone to her ear. 

"There isn't a mission, is there?" She said. 

Ava could only sit on the bed, utterly confused as Beatrice paced the length of the room and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I can't believe you guys. We're coming down." She span on the spot and caught Ava's gaze. "What do you mean you've already left?" 

Ava hopped off of the bed and made her way over to Beatrice. 

"What's going on?" Ava asked. 

Beatrice shook her head as her cheeks turned pink. 

Oh. 

Ava held a hand out and made a grabby hand until Beatrice relented and handed her the phone. 

"What the fuck?" Ava hissed into the phone. 

_ "Weird way to say thanks."  _ Mary replied dryly. 

"Thanks for what? Abandoning us at a hotel?" 

_ "I'll pick you up in the morning." _

"If my girlfriend doesn't kick your ass, I will." Ava said. 

Mary laughed for a solid minute before she hung up. Ava stared at the phone for a moment before she handed it back to Beatrice. 

"You okay?" Ava asked. 

"I can't believe they were all in on this." Beatrice replied. 

Ava had to admit, it was equal parts weird and touching that their friends were apparently invested enough in their relationship to go to the effort of getting them a hotel room and then leaving them there. 

And judging from Beatrice's expression, she was definitely focusing more on the weird side of it. 

"Hey," Ava caught Beatrice's hand. "you okay?" 

Beatrice let out a breath and nodded. "I'm not sure what to make of this." 

"I get it, strange but thoughtful gesture on their part." 

Beatrice nodded in agreement. 

"But hey, we can do whatever. We can order room service and hang out or we can say fuck this -". 

"Language." 

"Sorry. We can say forget this and get a cab back home or something." 

Beatrice looked uncharacteristically embarrassed as she paced the room. 

"This is my fault." 

"Okay one, no blame. Two, what do you mean?" 

As cute as Beatrice was when she blushed, Ava still felt very confused and really wanted to know what was going on. 

"I went to Mary a couple of days ago…" Beatrice began, looking anywhere but Ava's direction. "I asked how her and Shannon navigated the whole… Privacy situation." 

_ Oh.  _

"I definitely didn't think she'd act on it so soon, I should have spoken to you about this and your feelings about it beforehand." Beatrice turned to meet Ava's gaze. "I'm sorry." 

"You don't have anything to be sorry for." Ava replied. "Besides, no time like the present to talk about it, if you're ready to?" 

Beatrice gestured to the bed and the two moved over to sit beside each other. 

"It's been… On my mind for a little while now. More so since that encounter with the tarask." Beatrice began. 

The night they said 'I love you' for the first time, then. 

"I went to Mary because while she never took the vows, Shannon did and I had to know how she balanced her feelings with her vows." 

"Did you get your answer?" Ava asked. 

"I did, and… Well, the answer was something that my Grandmother would tell me." 

"Oh?" 

Beatrice turned to cup Ava's cheek. "God is love." 

Oh. 

"And I want to make love to you." 

_ Oh.  _

Ava had been expecting some variation on those words, but to actually hear them spoken? The butterflies in her stomach went haywire. 

"Holy shit Bea, you know how to leave a girl speechless." Ava replied. 

"Was that too forward?" Beatrice frowned. "I'm-" 

Ava cut her off with a kiss. 

"If the next word out your mouth was going to be sorry, you absolutely had nothing to be sorry for. Me speechless? Good reaction." Ava explained. "And for the record? I want to make love to you too. When you're ready though. Doesn't matter if that's tonight, next week or next year." 

"What if I said I was ready. Tonight?" Beatrice asked. 

"Well, first I'd ask if you were sure." Ava said. "But… Okay."

This time it was Beatrice who leant in for a kiss, lingering for a moment to suck on Ava's lower lip. 

(Ava was pretty sure she was ready to melt through the bed.)

"I'm sure if you're sure. But I think we should check out that restaurant first." 

"Full wine and dine experience?" Ava asked with a smile. "Minus the wine, of course." 

"Precisely." 

After what was probably the best meal Ava had ever eaten, she found herself back in the elevator on the journey back up to their room. 

While last time the silence had been companionable, this time there was an energy buzzing between them. A steady build of what the night held for them both. 

Beatrice entered the room first and Ava barely had time to close the door behind her before Beatrice was crowding her against the door and kissing her soundly. 

Speechless wasn't often a term used in relation to Ava, but it was quickly becoming one of Beatrice's special abilities. 

Beatrice leant back and opened her eyes to regard Ava. She reached up and brushed her thumb along Ava's lip and sighed. 

"Beautiful." 

The words were so quiet Ava wasn't sure she'd heard correctly. It was also a little harder to breathe with Beatrice's finger on her mouth. 

"...Bea?"

Beatrice's hand moved to cup Ava's chin and tilt her head up, their eyes connected. 

"You're beautiful." 

Ava's hands settled on Beatrice's hips and pulled her closer, angled her head just enough for another kiss. 

"Bea," Ava breathed out against her lips. "Are you sure?" 

Beatrice drew her in for another long kiss. 

"I've never been more sure of anything." 

Beatrice's hands trailed down to the bottom of Ava's shirt, fingers curling around the hem as she looked at Ava. 

Ava smiled and lifted her arms for Beatrice to pull her shirt off. 

Beatrice's gaze trailed over her body and it was quiet enough that Ava could hear her suck in a breath. 

Ava set her hands on Beatrice's shoulders and pushed gently until Beatrice started to walk backwards until the back of her knees hit the bed and dropped to sit on the edge of the bed. 

She dropped onto Beatrice's lap, smiling as Beatrice's hands settled on her thighs. 

"Okay so far?" Ava asked. 

"Yes." Beatrice replied. "You?"

Ava leant forward to brush her lips against Beatrice's ear as her fingers found the buttons of Beatrice's shirt. 

"Absolutely." Ava whispered. 

She pushed the shirt off of Beatrice's shoulders and shifted to pepper kisses along Beatrice's neck and shoulders. 

"Ava…" Beatrice's voice had taken on the slightest edge of pleading. 

"I love you." Ava said. "Let me show you how much." 

Worship would take on a new form tonight. 

  
  


\--

Ava opened her eyes to the sensation of fingers combing through her hair and the sound of Beatrice's heartbeat in her ear. 

"You awake?" Beatrice asked quietly. 

Ava hummed and turned her head to drop a kiss to Beatrice's chest. 

"Have you been up long?" Ava asked as she pushed herself up and adjusted herself so that she could rest her chin on Beatrice's chest and meet her girlfriend's gaze. 

"A while, I was thinking." 

"About what?" 

"What my family would think about this. But I… Pushed that aside for what my Grandmother would think." Beatrice smiled lovingly down at her. "I think she would have liked you." 

There were definitely tears in Beatrice's eyes and Ava reached up to brush one away when it fell. 

"You okay?" Ava asked. 

"Better than okay." Beatrice replied. "God is love, remember?" 

Ava dropped a kiss to the crucifix on Beatrice's neck.

"And I love you." Ava said. 

Beatrice shifted them until they were lying side by side and reached up to unclasp the crucifix from her neck. 

"What are you doing?" Ava asked. 

Beatrice leant forward to kiss her and Ava could feel her hands slip around her neck, the cool metal against her chest. 

"I want you to have it." Beatrice replied. "If you want it." 

"Yes, definitely." Ava kissed her again. "But I get to give you the next piece of jewellery."

"Did you have something in mind?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava smiled as she took hold of Beatrice's left hand and kissed her knuckles. "I was thinking of a ring?" 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey G - This one is for you my friend, thank you for always bringing a smile to my face. I hope you enjoy it
> 
> Beatrice has a lot of feelings and I would like to protect her forever ok thank you  
> There might be more than the average amount of mistakes here, it is late and i am tired™ so my bad on that part

Life, Beatrice had discovered, was all about finding balance. 

It had taken a while for her to realise that she could love both Ava and God, they were not mutually exclusive. 

Loving herself? Well, that was a little harder. 

("It takes time." Ava had said quietly one night as she pressed her face into Beatrice's neck. "I love you enough for both of us.") 

It did surprise Beatrice with just how easily it all fell into place though. 

They trained together, fought the good fight side by side. Faced unspeakable evil and came through the other side a little worse for wear but alive and together. 

As the months stretched on, they got to know the broken pieces of each other, Ava helped to fill the cracks in Beatrice's soul with gold. 

It's close to perfect, but the risks that their lives provide always stayed in the forefront of their minds. 

Ava may have resisted when she first came to them but she had grown into a hero. Headstrong and reckless but pure of heart and full of love. 

Those qualities were what made Beatrice fall in love with Ava in the first place but it didn't stop the fear that went through her whenever she watched Ava get hurt. 

Ava still wore the cross. Beatrice knew that she hadn't taken it off since the day she had given it to her girlfriend. 

Neither of them had mentioned Ava's comment about the ring since, Beatrice hadn't dared to mention it to their friends either. 

\--

They're in the library once afternoon when Lilith finds them and her expression is only a little bit disapproving when her eyes glance at Ava, head on the table and fast asleep. 

Getting Ava to take her studies seriously continued to be an uphill battle. 

More out of habit, Beatrice slowly drew her hand from where it had been stroking through Ava's hair as Lilith approached them. 

She wasn't as shy with being affectionate around her Sisters as she once was, Ava had never been shy since the day that they met. 

But Ava was a distraction. A beautiful, glorious distraction and Lilith looked as though whatever she had come for was important. 

"Mary got a call from Mateo, the guy from that village we helped? He's worried that someone there may be possessed."

Sounds easy enough, Mary and Ava could go and deal with it and be back by tomorrow. 

"Mother Superion has already given us the go ahead to head out in the morning and come back on Sunday evening." 

Beatrice set her book aside as she processed Lilith's words. 

Sure they had a mission to do first, but it essentially felt like they'd all been given the weekend off. 

"She must have been in a good mood to let us all go." Beatrice said. 

"We sent Camila to ask." Lilith shrugged. 

A tactical decision, nobody could say no to Camila and her puppy dog eyes. 

Ava's hand reached out blindly until her fingers laced through Beatrice's own. 

"I thought you were sleeping?" Beatrice asked, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice. 

"Dozing." Ava corrected, her own voice muffled through her arm. "And then  _ someone _ came and interrupted." 

"You're in a library!" Lilith protested. 

"Which means you should be quiet." Ava shot back. 

Lilith glared at the top of Ava's head. 

"You're lucky your girlfriend is here." 

"I know." Ava sounded extremely proud of herself. 

Hearing her friends call Ava her girlfriend always made Beatrice's heart feel a little warmer. 

Their quiet and unrelenting acceptance had meant more than she could put into words and Beatrice appreciated how they never pushed her, were always there and happy to let Beatrice come to them. 

Truthfully, it was only situations like this where they would openly find coincidental excuses for her and Ava (or in these rare occasions, all of them) to leave Cat's Cradle for a night or two. 

"Did you hear all that?" Beatrice asked. 

"Weekend getaway? All for it." Ava finally lifted her head and dragged Beatrice's hand closer to rest her chin on top of it. 

"We still have a job to do first." Lilith pointed out. "It's not just a holiday." 

Ava shushed her. "We're in a library, you need to be quiet." 

"But-" 

"Ssh!"

"Ava-" 

"Library!" Ava whispered. 

She was fucking with Lilith and they all knew it. Lilith looked to Beatrice, almost pleading with her silently. 

Beatrice hid her smile behind her hand. 

"We're leaving in the morning." Lilith said. "Get all of this out your system now otherwise you might not make it there in one piece" 

It was an empty threat, but Ava had too much energy to be contained to a van for a few hours. 

"Behave." Beatrice chided gently once Lilith was gone. 

Ava dropped a kiss to her knuckles. "I will. I guess you'll just have to keep me distracted tomorrow so she doesn't kick me out." 

"Is this your way of asking for kisses during the trip?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava considered this for a moment. "I guess it is. Not the most romantic proposition, sorry." 

"You're plenty romantic." Beatrice pointed out. She leant forward to kiss her gently.

Ava looked thoughtful as Beatrice pulled away but the moment passed quickly as the all too familiar grin appeared. 

\--

It has to be close to midnight when Beatrice is woken by a gentle knock at her door. 

When she opens it and finds Ava stood there in her pyjamas, she smiled. 

"Why didn't you phase through?" 

Ava shrugged. "Wasn't sure if you'd be asleep or not." 

"Did you want to come in?" 

"Nah, just had something I needed to give you." 

Ava stepped closer, reaching up to slide her fingers into Beatrice's hair as she kissed her. 

It was unexpected, to say the least, but Beatrice happily melted into it regardless. She settled her hands on Ava's hips and pulled her closer. 

"What was that for?" Beatrice asked when they pulled apart. 

Ava just grinned. "Wanted to give you a goodnight kiss." 

"I'd ask you to stay but we have an early start in the morning." 

And Beatrice already suspected that she was going to struggle to sleep now, they'd only serve to be a distraction to one another. 

Ava wiggled her eyebrows and kissed Beatrice on the cheek. "Bright and early." 

"Go to bed." Beatrice laughed, pushing Ava through the door. 

\--

Morning came quickly, so with her habit folded away, Beatrice changed into her civilian clothes and with her bag thrown over her shoulder she made her way to Ava's room. 

There was no answer when she knocked and Beatrice gave Ava a few seconds before she knocked again. 

"Ava, come on!" She called through the door. 

She knew that Ava wasn't exactly a morning person but still… 

Beatrice reached for the handle and opened the door. "Seriously Ava, if you don't get up now you won't have time for breakfast and Mary won't stop for McDonald's… Oh."

The room was empty and the dark hoody that lived on the back of Ava's chair was gone. 

Predictably, Beatrice noted with a roll of her eyes, the bed had been left unmade. 

She closed the door quietly and headed towards the main hall, only a handful of the other Sisters were there, but Beatrice was able to pick out Lilith and Camila at the far end of one of the tables. 

They too had opted for street clothes, each had a bag beside them that she presumed contained their combat habits. 

"Morning Bea." Camila greeted brightly. 

"Good morning." Beatrice glanced around again. "Have you seen Ava?" 

"She's out front with Mary, they took their bags and some weapons just in case." Camila replied.

"Has she eaten?" 

"Considering I found her ransacking the kitchen, it's safe to say that she has." Lilith said. 

Beatrice nodded. "Okay, I'm going to go and take my bag out then. I'll be back soon." 

Lilith waved a hand. "We'll be here." 

Beatrice made her way outside, the van had been brought up to the front of the building, the back doors of the vehicle were thrown open and Mary sat on the edge, smoking a cigarette as Ava stood in front of her. 

They were talking, focused enough on each other that neither of them immediately noticed Beatrice approaching. 

Mary was smiling though, and not the mildly amused one that she normally sported when faced with Ava. 

No, this one was softer. 

Mary glanced past Ava and saw Beatrice, flicking her cigarette at Ava's feet before standing up. 

Ava followed her gaze, her already bright expression lit up further. 

"I was about to come and see if you were awake." Ava greeted. 

"I stopped by your room, is it too much to make your bed?" Beatrice asked. 

"I'm sure it will forgive me." Ava shrugged. "You okay?" 

Beatrice nodded and held her bag. "Wanted to say hi and drop this of before I ate." 

"Oh cool." Ava took the bag from Beatrice and threw it at Mary, who caught it while she cursed at Ava under her breath. "I'll come with if you want?" 

"I thought you'd already eaten?" 

"True. But one, It means I get to spend time with you and two, I am always down for more food." 

Beatrice couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes as she held a hand out for Ava. "Come on then." 

\--

During the drive, Beatrice had expected Ava to be… Well, Ava. 

Full of energy, loud and full of jokes and enthusiastic singing. 

But instead she seemed content to curl into Beatrice's side, talking with Beatrice and Camila about nothing in particular. 

Beatrice would catch her eye from time to time and raise an eyebrow quizzically but Ava would just smile and kiss the back of her hand. 

Ava was excited to be going back to the village, that much was clear. But it felt as though this was a rare moment where Ava's energy was contained within herself. 

It usually only happened when they were together. 

When Mary pulled over so that they could stretch their legs and it was only when Beatrice inevitably found herself wandering down the snack aisle with Ava by her side did she bring it up. 

"Are you okay?" 

Ava grabbed a bag of skittles and hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah? Never better." 

"You just seem quiet, is all." Beatrice shrugged. 

"Do I? Sorry, I'm kinda tired." 

Ava paused as she held up a bar of chocolate and another bag of candy as she turned to Beatrice. 

She pointed to the chocolate and Ava threw the bag aside carelessly. 

Beatrice moved the candy back to its rightful place and fell back into step with Ava. 

"You didn't get much sleep?" Beatrice asked. 

"Nah, I was too excited so eventually I just got up. It felt like a good practice for the next couple days." 

Ava linked her arm through Beatrice's and led her towards the counter as she dug a few coins from her hoody to pay. 

Ava led them back outside, Mary, Camila and Lilith were all loitering near the van waiting for them. 

"I doubt the others will say it, but I think Lilith is actually surprised you're on your best behaviour." 

Ava stopped walking and grinned. 

Beatrice knew that look. 

"I mean… I was going to suggest a nap but I can go and grab some coffee and ruin Lilith's day if you want?" 

She turned as if to go back into the store, Beatrice tightened her hold on he wrist and pulled her back. 

"Don't you dare, I would very much like for you to make it to our destination in one piece."

"So… Cuddles and nap?" 

Beatrice rolled her eyes. "Cuddles and nap. You dork." 

"You love it." 

"Yes, I do." Beatrice agreed. 

She loved her dork. 

\--

Beatrice stirred as she felt Lilith nudge her leg with her foot. 

She opened her eyes and blinked as her friend came into focus. 

"We're nearly there." 

"Oh, thank you." 

Lilith nodded and turned back to look out of the window. 

Beatrice glanced down to where Ava was comfortably curled against her side, her arm was a little numb but she was happy to spend a few more seconds enjoying the moment before she kissed the top of Ava's head. 

"Ava?" 

"Hm?" 

"We're nearly there." 

Ava sat up slowly, pausing to run a hand through mussed waves. Beatrice watched as she looked around the van, pausing to smile at her before looking out of the window to confirm Beatrice's words. 

“I know you’ve been here before…” Ava said quietly. “But I’m really excited to experience it again. A lot has changed and I’m glad to have you at my side this time.”

The words felt heavy somehow, in a way that Beatrice didn’t know how to articulate.

She settled for reaching forward and taking hold of Ava’s hand. 

\--

They had barely walked ten feet before being greeted by the first of the villagers and it wasn’t long before they were surrounded by familiar faces.

Beatrice couldn’t help but get distracted when she noticed Ava getting swarmed by the children, crouching down and matching their enthusiasm as they all spoke.

She only looked away when Mateo reached Mary.

“Mary, thank you for coming so soon.”

“Of course, is everything okay?”

Beatrice listened as he explained the situation to them, how a few days ago the wife of a local farmer began to notice changes in her husbands behaviour and after discussing it with him and the priest they had agreed it would be best to reach out to the sisters.

Ava quietly excused herself from the children to join Beatrice at her side as he drew to the end of the story.

“You did the right thing.” Mary said when he was finished. 

“Better to be safe than sorry.” Ava chimed in. 

Mateo smiled warmly at her. “Ava, it’s good to see you again.”   


“You too.” Ava met his smile with equal energy.

The two of them greeted each other lille old friends, a gentle weight behind their words that had Beatrice wonder what had happened when Ava had been here last.

Beatrice knew that it had played a large part in Ava making the decision to return to them, but it had never come up in conversation.

“So where can we find him?” Ava asked, as eager as ever. She glanced sideways at Beatrice. “Sooner the better right?” 

Beatrice nodded.

“Come, i’ll take you there now.”

\--

The fight was brief and if Beatrice were being honest with herself, Ava hadn't really needed them to be there. 

Sure, there was a moment when Ava was thrown heavily into the side of a wall and Lilith had sprinted forward to distract the man before Beatrice had even fully processed what had happened, but beyond that Ava had dealt with the threat quickly and efficiently. 

Now she crouched beside the man, unconscious and unaware as Ava spoke quietly to his wife. 

"I know it looked bad, but he'll be okay. I know you've seen this before with the others. He'll feel guilty for a while but it's important that he knows that none of this was his fault, he wasn't in control. Don't let him forget that." 

Pride fluttered in Beatrice's chest. She was learning fast and growing even faster. 

As Ava rose and turned towards her, the guilt that Beatrice felt at not reacting fast enough to help Ava quickly faded under the brightness of her smile. 

"Good job kid." Mary gave her Ava's back a fond pat. "You'll be a pro in no time." 

Ava laughed though there was a subtle wince as she rolled her shoulders. "Yeah yeah, we saved the day, can we go eat now?" 

Lilith mumbled something under her breath about how they should be making sure the threat truly had abated, but Camila matched Ava's enthusiasm, looping their arms together and talking excitedly. 

As they began to move away Beatrice caught a look of fondness in Mary's eyes as she shook her head. 

"The only thing that girl loves more than food is you." Mary sighed. 

The comment was casual yet it still rested heavily but comfortably in Beatrice's chest. 

The declarations of love that were uttered between her and Ava were plentiful and over time had become easier for Beatrice to accept. 

Yet it was these declarations that happened outside of the bubble that they had created between them that threw Beatrice off the most. 

The fact that the love they shared together was clear enough for others to observe and not for the first time, Beatrice wondered how they had looked from her friends perspective. 

When had they noticed the glances they shared? Was it her own behavior they had noticed first? All longing looks and quiet reverence, a desperate need to protect. 

Or had it been Ava? Louder and more transparent in the emotions that cross her face. Unafraid in showing the love that she held for each of them but terrified of having that love be rejected. 

Had it been Mary who noticed first? 

Beatrice had many questions and one day, when she finally felt settled enough, comfortable enough in her own existence, she would speak them into the universe. 

For now they would remain locked away in her heart. She didn't need to know, it was more than enough to have their love and support. 

Unaware to Beatrice's spiral of thoughts, Mary drifted past, gesturing with her head for Beatrice to follow. 

"Come on, this is a break that we have more than earned." 

\--

In the restaurant, there is no privacy. 

Word had spread quickly of their arrival and by the time Mateo has them seated them in a far corner, everybody knew what Ava had done. 

After the sixth person leaves their table, Beatrice noticed Ava's fingers twitching against her thigh, still smiling but softer now as she focuses her gaze on their table. 

It's a subtle shift, but Beatrice can't help but be drawn to it. 

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly. 

Ava tilted her head to smile at Beatrice. "Yeah. I just… This is kind of a lot? I'm not used to it. It.." Ava frowns as she tries to find the words to correctly articulate her thoughts. "It feels wrong." 

Beatrice can tell that Ava isn't satisfied with her own answer by the crease that forms on her forehead and Beatrice's own fingers twitch with the urge to smooth them out. 

She chances a quick look at their table, Camila and Lilith are engaged in an equally quiet conversation while Mary had disappeared into the back to help with the food. 

They seem to have been gifted with a brief reprieve, enough time for Beatrice to help Ava work through her thoughts. 

"How so?" Beatrice prompted. 

Ava's fingers twitch again and they find their way to the table, drumming against the wood in an irregular pattern. 

"It might be the lack of positive reinforcement over the last twelve years coming through? But the way they're looking at me… Like I'm a hero? It doesn't make me feel real." 

"To them you are a hero Ava." Beatrice said eventually. Her gaze lingers on Ava's fingers for a few more moments before her gaze finds Ava's. "The powers you have, the things that we see and do are so far from reality it would be hard for people to not have a certain reverence towards you." 

How could they not? Even now Beatrice still finds herself breathless when Ava is bathed in the golden glow of the halo. 

Her avenging angel. 

"And as for positive reinforcement, it gets easier to accept with time." Beatrice adds. 

She reached out then, gently covering Ava's hand with her own and giving it a gentle squeeze. 

It only lasted for a moment, she quickly draws her hand away when she spotted Mateo approaching with Mary, plates of food balanced between them. 

Ava's smile doesn't fade at the loss of contact, only bumps their shoulders together in a brief acknowledgement. A silent thanks. 

The food and drink flow freely after that, though only Mary really indulges when people offer to buy her drinks, Ava accepts one and nurses it as the night progresses. 

At some point during a brief lull in conversation, her hand finds Beatrice's under the table, a brief squeeze that only shifts when Beatrice takes the leap to lace their fingers together. 

\--

As the night begins to draw to a close and people begin to retreat back to their homes, it finally occurred to Beatrice that they hadn't discussed sleeping arrangements. 

The last time she had been there the Church had been their resting place and she knew the same extended to when Mary and Ava found themselves here. 

Apparently though, Mary had already taken charge of this and dealt with it appropriately. The last few patrons hadn't been there by chance, each had offered their homes to the group and while Ava's face dropped at the realisation that she would be split up from her friends (from Beatrice) she quickly recovered and her smile returned at the kindness they were being shown. 

Beatrice couldn't help but feel equally as disheartened, and even if it didn't show on her face, she knew that Ava could see it in the look that they shared. 

Neither of them press it though, even as they both noticed the questioning looks their sisters shot their way. 

Beatrice couldn't help the brief guilt that settled in her stomach though. If she could only be more open with her feelings, with her desires, then maybe she would be able to follow Ava into the night. 

Beatrice remained silent though as the group decides who will go with who, though she nods when Ava is quick to suggest that Beatrice take the room Mateo had offered. 

When it came to say goodbye, Beatrice is thankful for the brief moment she is able to steal with Ava. 

"I'm sorry." Beatrice said. 

"What for?" Ava asked, looking confused for a few seconds, though Beatrice can see her connect the dots quickly in her mind. "Oh. Bea, no. You have nothing to apologise for."

"I know you were looking forward to being alone together." Beatrice replied. "I was too." 

Ava's smile was so fond and if they weren't surrounded by virtual strangers, Beatrice knew that Ava would have kissed her. 

"We have our entire lives for cuddling and… Other stuff, Bea. I'm happy no matter what." 

Complete unwavering love. 

She sees Mary leave. The others will follow shortly. 

"I wish I could kiss you." Beatrice admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. Her desires spoken into existence only for Ava and God to hear. 

Her bravery has its limits, and while she could feel the wall crumbling, Beatrice knew she wasn't quite able to move past it. 

"Soon." Ava promised. 

They parted ways at that. No goodnights or wishes of sweet dreams, just the simple promise of  _ Soon.  _

Ava disappeared into the night and Beatrice followed Mateo up the stairs and thanked him for his kindness after showing her to her room. 

\--

The room is warm and the bed is soft. Beatrice is accustomed to the silence but it feels especially heavy tonight. 

It's a rare occurrence for Beatrice to be separated from her sisters, even stranger now to not have Ava under the same roof and it surprised Beatrice at how much that realisation affected her. 

She wasn't averse to loneliness but tonight she feels it creeping in from the shadows. 

Sleep doesn't claim her. Her fingers itch with the urge to have Ava's skin against hers. 

Beatrice is just about ready to give up on it entirely when she hears movement outside, confusion takes over as she picks up the faint sounds boots scraping against the wall. 

She throws the covers off of herself and crosses the room quickly throwing back the curtains. 

Ava stared back at her with equally wide eyes, hand raised and posed as though ready to knock on the glass that separates them. 

Caught in the act, Ava grinned. 

Beatrice threw the window open. "What are you doing?" 

"I have something for you." Ava replied. 

"And it was important enough for you to climb a building in the middle of the night?" Beatrice glanced at Ava's clothes, the loose shirt and sweatpants, her ever familiar hoody slipping from one shoulder . She'd seen the same clothes plenty of times. "In your pyjamas?" 

Ava nodded seriously. "Very important." 

She braced her hands on either side of the window and pulled herself up to kiss Beatrice soundly. 

Beatrice's eyes fluttered shut as she reached up to cradle Ava's face in her hands. 

When they broke apart, Ava was smiling. 

"Hm… I kinda feel like Romeo." She said. "Except also no." 

Beatrice knows where her thoughts are drifting to, a tale of two lovers trapped in a tragedy. 

They're anything but a tragedy. 

Beatrice's hands reached for Ava's. "Get inside before someone sees you or worse, you fall." 

Once satisfied that Ava wasn't about to topple down to the street below, Beatrice crossed the room to flick the light on, leaving Ava to close the window and draw the curtains. 

As Beatrice turned back to Ava she was struck by how novel the moment felt, like a schoolgirl sneaking her girlfriend into her dorm under the cover of darkness. 

"How are you feeling?" She asked. 

Ava winced as she crouched to pull her converse off. "Bruised. But no big deal." 

She unzipped her hoody and dropped it on the dresser, even from where Beatrice was standing she could see a few bruises peeking out from under the sleeves of Ava's shirt. 

"Are you okay?" Ava asked. 

"I'm fine, you didn't have to sneak over here, I know you must be tired after today." 

Ava laughed quietly and moved closer. "Well, I seem to remember you making a wish so I took it upon myself to make sure it came true." 

Beatrice couldn't help but smile. "See? I said you were romantic." 

Ava rolled her eyes at the callback as she moved further into Beatrice's space. 

Beatrice hummed and traced a finger along Ava's collarbone, just above a deep purple bruise. 

"Are you like this all over?" She asked. 

Ava nodded. "You should see my back, it's like an abstract connect the dots." 

"Take it off and lay down." Beatrice gestured towards the bed. "If you want." she added quickly. 

The forwardness had Ava blink in surprise, though she recovered quickly, turning away and pulling her shirt over her head as she made her way to the bed. 

Ava dropped the shirt to the floor as she lay down, folding her arms under her chin. 

She'd come this far, and now Ava lay only a few steps away, quiet and waiting for whatever it was Beatrice was going to offer. 

Beatrice switched the lights off and moved closer, climbing onto the bed and kneeling beside Ava. The glow of the halo guided her way.

Ava's description of her back was fairly apt. A constellation of blues purples and greens covered most of usually pale skin. The symphony of colours made the halo scar stand out more than usual. 

Beatrice brushed her fingers over the largest bruise on Ava's shoulder and trailed down to trace the halo. 

She could feel its warmth beneath her fingers and was greeted with a gentle pulsing glow in response to her touch. 

Ava's muscles twitched under Beatrice's careful touches, after a few more moments Beatrice moved again, throwing a leg over Ava and settling carefully on Ava's thighs and placing both of her hands on Ava's shoulders. 

"Bea?" Ava asked quietly. 

"Is this okay?" 

"More than." 

Beatrice leant forward and pressed a kiss to the base of Ava's neck, lingering just a moment above where the chain of the crucifix rested. 

As she continued to press kisses across Ava's back, lingering on every bruise left on her skin, Beatrice's ears were attuned to every sigh that left Ava's lips. She could feel Ava relax melt underneath her. 

Beatrice had to close her eyes against the light of the halo as she placed a kiss to the centre of the scarring and the full body shiver that accompanied brought a smile to her lips. 

Worship was the word that came to mind. 

" _ Jesus- _ " Ava breathed out. "Wait, shit. Sorry. Fuck -" 

Beatrice pressed her hand to Ava's shoulder, silencing Ava's spiralling of cursing. 

Getting Ava to stop swearing was a losing battle, but she was at least making an effort to not be actively blasphemous. 

"Sorry." Ava whispered. "That just feels… Really,  _ really _ good." 

"I can keep going if you'd like?" 

Ava hummed thoughtfully. "Seriously tempting. But I will fall asleep if you do." 

"I wouldn't be offended if you do." 

Ava turned her head to the side and tried to crane it enough to see Beatrice, when she couldn't she let her head fall back to the pillow. 

"I'd rather not pass out before we get our cuddles in." 

Beatrice chuckled softly, she lifted off of Ava's thighs long enough for Ava to roll over, heavy limbed and sleepy eyed - she hadn't been kidding when she said she would fall asleep soon. 

Though as she stared up at her, Beatrice saw some of that sleepiness give way to something else. 

"So hey," Ava began. Her gaze flickered over Beatrice's face. "You know how I think you're really pretty? Like really fu- freaking pretty?" 

"You may have mentioned it once or twice." Beatrice replied, smiling.

Ava told her everyday. 

Multiple times. 

"Yeah well, this…" Ava made a point of gesturing towards Beatrice. "Really attractive. Like… The only words I can think of are of a blasphemous level attractive." 

"Yeah?" 

Ava sat up, curling an arm around Beatrice's waist to keep her in place and it took a considerable effort to not get distracted by the glory of Ava's bare chest. 

"Very much yeah." 

"Hm. Duly noted." 

They'd definitely revisit that at a later date, a time where there wasn't a relative stranger on the other side of the wall. 

"For now though…" Ava's grip tightened long enough for her to tip them both down to the bed. 

They lay side by side as Ava brushed the hair from Beatrice's face. The halo still glowed faintly, even underneath the covers it's glow was enough for the room to be bathed in a soft light. 

"I really love you, you know." Ava whispered. 

"I love you too." Beatrice shifted closer until her forehead rested comfortably against Ava's bare shoulder. "Should I get your shirt? Will you be cold?" 

"Nah, pretty sure you'll keep me warm." 

\--

Beatrice woke to Ava moving. It was still dark out.

"What are you doing?" Beatrice asked quietly. 

She felt Ava climbing over her, pausing to drop a kiss to her lips. 

"After what you guys did for them, they watch the sunrise every morning. Wanna go?" 

She sat up as Ava got off of the bed, searching the floor for her shirt and pulling it quickly over her head. 

Right. Mary had told them about that. 

"Sure. You going to go back to change?" 

"Nah, I'll just stay like this." Ava grabbed her hoody and pulled it on before gesturing to the window behind her. "But I'll meet you downstairs?" 

Ava reached for her shoes and Beatrice paused for a moment to admire the (admittedly comical) sight of the warrior nun wrestling with a single converse. 

Beatrice smiled to herself as she walked tp the door, planning on using the bathroom before she got changed. 

She pulled the door open and froze in place. 

Mateo, in mid step as he was passing the room, turned his head to greet her. Gaze immediately shifting over her shoulder. 

The thing about bubbles? They pop. 

Ava was stood behind her in all of her half dressed, messy haired glory, no doubt equally as frozen. 

(Beatrice imagined that she was still balanced precariously on one foot, shoe halfway on her foot.)

Shame threatened to bubble up in her chest, an unconscious reaction to feelings she still hadn't quite moved past yet. 

It felt like an unnaturally long time stretched between them all. The only sound Beatrice heard over her own heart pounding in her ears was the soft sound of Ava's foot touching the floor. 

Mateo smiled as he nodded his head at the pair. "Good morning." 

Beatrice couldn't speak. 

"Uh, hey." Ava greeted. 

"Are you coming to watch the sunrise?" He asked. 

"...Yeah." Ava replied hesitantly. "Yeah." 

His smile grew. "Good. I'll make coffee. Come downstairs when you're ready." 

And just like that, he was gone. 

Beatrice stared at the empty space for a long moment until she felt, rather than heard, Ava come up behind her. She reached around Beatrice to push the door closed. 

Only then did she place careful hands on Beatrice's shoulders and turned her so that they were face to face. 

"Hey," Ava's eyes were brimming with concern as she studied Beatrice. "You okay?" 

"I… don't know." She admitted. 

Beatrice wrapped her arms around herself and leant backwards against the door. 

"Talk to me Bea." Ava requested gently. "Take your time."

There was that unwavering patience again. Patience was never really a word that could be attributed to Ava, unless Beatrice was concerned that is. 

When it came to Beatrice, Ava's patience was endless. 

"It's just… I've been met with judgment all of my life, even with the support I've had from the others, I still find it difficult to believe that others would treat us the same." 

"I understand." Ava replied. "I do, I get it. And it'll take time to think differently. But Bea, your family? Everyone from your past who tried to change who you are? They were wrong. Who you are is beautiful, remember?" 

"What if I never think differently? What if I'm always going to be afraid to be open with you?" 

"It wouldn't change a damn thing." Ava replied immediately. "I love you and I'm not going anywhere Bea. I'm staying by your side until the end." 

She cupped Beatrice's cheeks in her hands and brushed her thumbs over her cheekbones. 

"Besides, think of how far you've already come. You can only go up." 

Beatrice dropped her arms from her own body in favour of wrapping them around Ava, pulling her into a hug and burying her face in the crook of Ava's neck. 

She had no words to offer and Ava didn't push, instead she settled for brushing a hand through Beatrice's hair. 

"We can stay in here if you want." Ava offered. "We don't have to go." 

"I want to." Beatrice whispered. "Go, I mean." 

She wanted to see the sun rise with Ava. 

She wanted to hold her hand in public. To kiss her and hold her close at the restaurant. 

And as terrifying as it felt, she wanted to show the world the love that they had. 

To do that meant she needed to take a step, even if that knowledge filled her with so many layers of terror. 

"Okay." Ava brushed her lips softly against Beatrice's. "Get changed and we'll go together."

She could do this. 

\--

Mateo didn't speak about what he saw. 

When they joined him down he simply pressed a thermos of coffee into Ava's hand and asked if they both slept well. 

As they walk to the spot, other villagers join them and conversations begin to blossom around them. 

Ava doesn't reach for her hand but her presence is heavy against Beatrice's side. Solidarity, home and safety all wrapped into one. 

It wasn’t surprising to see Mary, Lilith and Camila already there, huddled together amongst the other villagers, if anything it brought Beatrice more comfort.

With Ava at her side, they join their friends and are greeted with small but warm smiles.

Conversation flows freely amongst them until the first ray makes itself known.

Light illuminates them in brilliant hues but Beatrice stays focused on the streaks of gold.

(it’s impossible not to think of Ava or the light she emits)

Each day to these people was a celebration of the life they had. Each day held the promise of countless possibilities.

A promise of new strength. 

Each sunrise was a miracle.

And while Ava’s attention was on the sight in front of them, Beatrice’s own gaze was firmly on Ava.

Her own miracle.

And much like the villagers that surrounded them, Beatrice would treat every day she spent with Ava as such.

Quietly, Beatrice reached for Ava’s hand, linking their fingers and holding her close. 

Ava doesn’t look away from the sun, but her smile grows and the answering squeeze of her hand means more than anything else. 

\--

Ava, Mary and Camila are playing football in the square with the children when Mateo approaches her.

Beatrice and Lilith are watching from the shade, each wondering which of their friends will make the friendly game amongst children turn into disaster.

They’re all great with kids, that much can’t be denied. But Ava is clumsy while Mary and Camila are both fiercely competitive.

(“Ava will kick a ball into a child's face. I’m telling you now.” Lilith had muttered.)

Mateo quietly approached them and leant against the wall beside Beatrice. 

“Not one for football?” He asked the pair.

“We prefer to observe.” Lilith replied.

Beatrice nodded.

They still hadn’t told their friends about what had happened that morning.

“I want to thank you again, for coming to help us.” 

“It’s not necessary.” Beatrice said. “You know you can always reach out if you need anything.”   
  
“Likewise to you.” Mateo replied. From the corner of her eye she saw his gaze settle on Ava. “I’m glad she chose to return to you.”

“As are we.”   


She could see Lilith regarding them both curiously, clearly picking up on some tension on Beatrice’s part.

“May I speak freely?”    
  
Beatrice hesitated before she nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. 

She had Lilith beside her, Ava and the others were only a few feet away.

“God made us with the capacity to love. That is one of his gifts to us. God is love and acceptance.” He nods towards Ava. “She makes you happy?”   
  
“...Yes.” Beatrice’s voice is quieter than she would like.

“Then God is happy.” Mateo shrugged. “The gift of love is a beautiful thing. Like the sun. It may be hidden behind clouds from time to time but it will always be there and there will always be people who appreciate that beauty.”

Beatrice doesn’t speak. She doesn’t even dare to look away from the game unfolding in front of her for fear of crying, though she feels her lip tremble and knows it hasn’t gone unnoticed by Lilith and Mateo.

“You and Ava are welcome here, together. And tonight, she is welcome to stay, if you both wish.”   
  
“Thank you.” Beatrice replied.

She hoped that her tone carried the weight that she wanted it to, that she wasn’t just thanking him for the offer of letting her share a room with Ava.   
  
That she was thanking him for his acceptance, that when he saw them together he saw the sunlight breaking through the clouds and he didn’t turn away.

Mateo smiled. “It’s not necessary.” He nodded to Lilith. “I’ll leave you to it.”   
  
When he was a safe distance away, Lilith finally spoke up.   
  
“Did what I think just happened, happen?”    
  
“I believe so.”   
  
“...Do you want to talk about it?”   
  
“Not right now.”   
  
Thankfully (or not), before Lilith could speak again, Camila kicked the ball with enough force that when it hit Ava in the face, she hit the ground like a sack of bricks.

\--

She tells Lilith and Camila everything later on that evening. 

Mary and Ava are in the back helping Mateo, though Ava appears every ten minutes or so with plates of food and makes a point of passing the table each time as a silent check in.

By the time she finished explaining, Beatrice is exhausted but her friends are nodding fervently.

“He’s right.” Camila said. “Do you feel better after talking to him?”   
  
“More now than at the time.” Beatrice replied. “It’s still a lot to process.”

“I can imagine.” Lilith nodded. “But what Ava said is also right, look how far you have come and i’m not even referring to your comfort with showing affection to her. A conversation like this? Six months ago it simply wouldn’t have happened.”

“Getting either of you to talk about your feelings was like pulling teeth.” Camila chimed in, looking pointedly at Lilith. “It’s good progress.”

“I guess so.” Beatrice agreed.    
  
Her gaze drifted towards the bar where Mateo was greeting a man warmly. The pair exchanged a few words as a drink was placed before the patron. Mateo gestured back to the kitchen and after another exchanged smile, he disappeared behind its doors.

“We should come here more often.” Camila decided. “The breaks are good for us.”

“I’m inclined to agree.” Lilith added.

Beatrice hummed as Ava and Mary emerged from the kitchen, smiling when her gaze caught Ava’s.    
  
Ava’s smile was as equally bright and she held up a finger, silently requesting for Beatrice to wait before she darted after Mary.

It was more out of curiosity than anything that kept Beatrice’s gaze on Ava as the pair reached the man that Mateo had been speaking to. This time Mary was the one doing the talking, gesturing to Ava from time to time who nodded with each gesture.

The curiosity piqued when she saw something exchange hands and whatever it was, was quickly shoved into Ava’s pocket. 

“Do you think we could find an excuse to go to Paris?” Camila’s words pulled Beatrice’s attention back to the table.

“Doubtful. But you and Ava are more likely to convince her. You both have the puppy dog eyes.” Lilith replied.

“Who has puppy dog eyes?” Ava asked, dropping down beside Beatrice.

“You and Camila.” 

“Oh.” Ava grinned. “Yeah. Why is this relevant?”   
  
“Camila wants to get Mother Superion to let us go to Paris.” Beatrice explained.

“Ooh. Operation Paris. I’m down.” She pointed to Camila. “We’re hitting the drawing board when we get back.”   
  
“Are you taking a break?” Beatrice asked.

“Nah. Mateo said I’ve done enough and should be relaxing.” 

Beatrice watched as Ava glanced back at Camila and Lilith who had begun to talk amongst themselves once more before she turned back to Beatrice.

“You okay?”   
  
Beatrice nodded. “I think so.”   
  
“Mateo told me he spoke to you.”   
  
“I assumed he would.”

“You sure you’re okay?”   
  
Strangely, she was.

“He gave me a lot to think about. But do you know what he did say to me?”   
  
“What?”   
  
Beatrice reached for Ava’s hand on the table and lay her own on top of it. “God is love and acceptance. God is love, Ava.”   
  
Ava grinned. “God is love.”   
  
Beatrice thought back to her Grandmother and wondered if she was watching them now. If she would be proud of her.

(Beatrice knew deep in her heart that she would be)

“You’ll stay with me tonight?”   
  
“Of course.”

\--

  
  


“So I have something to give to you.” Ava said, rising up on her elbows to look at Beatrice in the darkness.

Or, it would be darkness, if the halo hadn’t begun to glow.

“Oh?”   
  
“But before I do, I'd like to preempt it by saying I’d planned on this before we got here and it absolutely has nothing to do with everything that happened since we got here.”   
  
Now that statement made Beatrice nervous. She sat up and willed her fingers to relax around the sheets.

“Ava?”   
  
“Close your eyes?” Ava asked.

“Ava, we’re already in the dark.”   
  
Ava’s smile was fond. “Humour me?”   
  
Under the glow of the halo, there was no way that Ava didn’t notice the roll of Beatrice’s eyes as she followed Ava’s request. 

She felt Ava slip from the bed and a few moments later she heard a click as the lights came on. There was another solid minute of Ava rummaging around before her weight settled on the bed again. This time kneeling beside her.

“Hold out your hand?”

Beatrice complied and felt something small, round and cool hit her palm.

A shaky exhale and then, “Okay. You can open them.”   
  
As she did, the first thing Beatrice saw was Ava’s face, the nervousness in her eyes and hopeful smile all rolled into one.

When she dropped her gaze to her hand, the breath caught in her throat. 

A ring.

A silver band, beautiful in its simplicity.

_ "But I get to give you the next piece of jewellery."  _

_ "Did you have something in mind?" Beatrice asked.  _

_ Ava smiled as she took hold of Beatrice's left hand and kissed her knuckles. "I was thinking of a ring?"  _

“Ava…” She looked back up to meet her gaze. “What is this?”   
  
The nervousness didn’t seem to fade in Ava’s eyes. 

“It’s a promise. If you want it? I know you’re like, technically married to God and you know i’ll always respect that but even if you weren’t, I felt like straight up proposing might be a bit soon?” Ava stopped suddenly, taking another shaky breath and frowning, more at herself than anything. 

The crease in her forehead told Beatrice that, and she didn’t hesitate to reach out to smooth it away. To silently encourage Ava to continue.

“My point is, it’s a promise. That no matter what and in whatever capacity, I want to be with you for as long as you want me.”

Beatrice didn’t need to ask if Ava meant what she was saying, the conviction in her voice left no room for doubt.

Her sunrise.

Her miracle.

“And if I wanted you forever?”   
  
Ava took Beatrice’s face in her hands. “Then you’ll have me.”    
  
“Okay.”   
  
“Okay?”   
  
Beatrice smiled and held the ring close to her chest. “Forever sounds nice.”    
  
The laugh that left Ava’s lips was nothing short of joyful, the echoes of it lingered in Beatrice’s ears as they kissed.

It was only when they paused to breathe did Beatrice voice a question that had been prodding at the back of her mind.

“How did you get this?”   
  
“I spoke to Mary the morning we left. Told her what I was looking for, she took it from there so that people wouldn't know who it was for and well…” Ava nodded at the ring. “They were all too happy to help.”   
  
“It’s beautiful, Ava.”   
  
“Read the inscription.”   
  
Beatrice frowned and held the ring up to the light, surely enough, in tiny font sat the nine words that had helped Beatrice through her darkest times.

_ You make known to me the path of life. _

She looked back at Ava, mouth agape. 

“I wanted to find a balance, something from me and God.”

Ava would never ask her to choose her or God. There was more than enough love between them all. 

Beatrice let Ava take the ring from her and slip it onto her finger, leaning in to kiss her softly.

Ava loved Beatrice, and Beatrice loved Ava. 

God loved them both. 

It was a symphony. An all consuming balance of love. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now i'm not saying that they should get married in front of the sunrise..... But they should absolutely get married in front of the sunrise
> 
> and well, it's coming up to 3am and it is fully my birthday now so i'm gonna go and crash out for a while
> 
> HMU with your general avatrice feels or headcanons PLS i need to cry and vent

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> As always, you can find me [here](https://yashastrongarms.tumblr.com/) \- i'm still taking requests so hmu (or just come say hey!)
> 
> stay safe and see you soon!


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